Happiness is a Heartbeat Away
by MomofPhoenix
Summary: Stephanie has made some changes in her life and now this Valentine's day a Merry Man opens up his heart to her and the possibility of a future. Tart


A/N not mine, I own nothing but the plot.

 _ **Happiness is a Heartbeat Away**_

The wind howling and making the snow drift. The driving conditions were to harsh for her to even order a pizza in for tonight. It didn't matter to her anyway. Ella had given her some simple cooking lessons for her Crock-Pot. She had potato soup happily cooking away. It was exactly what she needed today, a hearty stick to your ribs and warm you to your soul kind of meal.

She was wallowing in her sadness. She and Joe had finally split amicably and Ranger took off for Miami. That was seven months ago. She decided to take some time and do things for herself. She has been training with the guys five days a week, putting six hours a week in the gun range, and has even been learning how to cook. She is finally comfortable in her own skin.

Working full time at Rangeman has allowed for her to afford better furniture and security for her new home. One that she didn't have to shoot. Lester was the one who had helped her find her new home and set it up so that no one could find her. There were only four other people who knew where she lived. They all worked at Rangeman. Her neighbor was one of them.

Tank always watched over her, even when she wanted to be alone. He had had her six for so many years, that she never even noticed most of the time. He has watched her grow and transform into the strong woman she is now. He was disappointed in the man he considered his best friend. He had walked away from the best thing that had ever happened to him. Tank wasn't going to make the same mistake.

He gathered up everything he wanted to take next door. The lillies that she would never tell anyone were her favorite, but he knew. The chocolate torte that he had made from scratch, with ganche. The delicate gold necklace with the angel wings, to let her know she would always be able to fly. He checked his tie in the mirror, he wanted to present on the right foot. He was so proud of her and all she's accomplished the last few months.

He walked the forty feet to her door and rang the bell. He knew it would take her a few moments to answer the door as she had to disengage the alarm and have her gun at the ready before she even checked the monitor to see who was there. He, Lester, Cal, and Hector had trained her her so well that it is now all ingrained into her daily life.

She opened the door, she hadn't been expecting anyone, especially tonight. She was even more surprised to see Tank on the monitor. She figured he would either be at work or on a date. It was Valentine's day after all.

His smile nearly blinded her, it definitely seemed to stun her. She had never witnessed the big guy actually smile before. It was devastatingly beautiful. His straight white teeth were a brilliant contrast to his dark skin. The deep blue tie, crisp white dress shirt, and black Armani suit left her breathless.

She stepped to the side and motioned him inside. A strong gust of wind choose that moment to whip up more snow. She giggled when he shivered as he came in out of the cold. He handed her the flowers and had his own chuckle towards her reaction.

"How did you know these are my favor...wait, what are you doing here?" She stammered out.

"I wanted to be here."

"Okay. Would you like to stay for dinner? It's not much, just potato soup that I made in the Crock-Pot this morning."

"I'd like that. I even brought dessert."

He handed her the cake plate and was pleased to hear the yum she let out unintentionally. She had learned moderation when it came to her sweets, so anytime she had something he noticed she savored it more. He took her hand after she put the cake on the counter, and lead her to the couch.

The over stuffed piece of furniture would be where they had the conversation he had wanted to have for so long. He had always kept himself from having this conversation because of Carlos. He knew that his best friend had fallen for the little girl, but now he knew that Carlos was not returning. He didn't want to inflict any more danger upon Stephanie's life. Apparently, he had already told her this as well.

"Tank?" she asked shakily. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to ask you something. I'm just not sure how to approach you with it."

"Just ask. You already know that I'll answer anything that I can."

"I'm not the most verbose person, you of all people know that. I don't have very stable hours and I work a dangerous job. I can't always promise that I can be safe. I don't run missions any longer, my contract ended last month..."

"Tank, you're starting to worry me."

He let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped a little. She had never seen the big guy move through so many emotions in such a short time.

"Sorry, Little Girl. I don't mean too. I'm hoping that this will be a good talk. I've been less nervous facing drug lords in Colombia."

Both of her eyebrows hit her hairline. She began to fidget with the bracelet she wore. It was a habit she had all of her life. It was her tell. He knew it meant that she was worried about something. He reached out and took her hand in his, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb he turned and faced her. Their knees were touching and he put a hand up to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. He sat forward and gently kissed her soft lips.

When he pulled back she looked up at him in wonder. He could see the questions running across her face. It was one of the many things he loved about her. She was so open, so loyal, and so loving.

He cleared his throat and began speaking again. "Would you be opposed to trying a relationship with me?"

"Are you sure? I mean I'm a mess. I'm a failure at everything I try. I collect stalkers and blow up cars like it's the stylish thing to do. My own family tells me how horrible I am. Joe was always on me about how awful I was, and Ranger ran as fast as he could."

"Listen here. You are not a failure. You are amazing. None of us have the capture rate that you have, hell not even Dog has your capture rate. Your family doesn't understand that you aren't conventional by any means. Joe is an idiot and Ranger is scared of his past hurting you.

"It's not a matter of someone handling you, but of someone with the right size hands to help you, to hold you, and to just love you for who you are."

She leaned forward and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. He couldn't believe that she was kissing him. He felt his heart leap in his chest. He sat back on the sofa and broke the kiss. Her head resting on his chest.

"I'd like to give us a try," she said softly.

He let out the breath that he didn't know he had been holding. He gathered his thoughts before speaking any further.

"Why don't we get some dinner and watch a movie? We can talk more afterwards." He said to her.

She stood and held out her hand and he took it. As they made their way to the kitchen, he knew that they were heading towards their future.

They snuggled in after the movie, with the wind howling and the snow drifting just outside. They discussed what they were both looking for in a relationship. Surprisingly they agreed on every point. They just wanted someone to share things with, someone to be there when things were hard, someone to just hold. Neither one of them were looking for marriage and kids. They would be content without that.

He realized that his Grandmere was right, _happiness was only a heartbeat away._


End file.
